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I am not that experienced with speakers and surround sound so I apologize ahead of time. I just recently bought a Samsung 55" F7100. Now I want a good sound setup to go along with it. Anyways I was at my local Best Buy and was looking at all the setups they have there. A sales associate pointed me in the direction of their Klipsch setups. At first I was looking at a home theater system in a box, but quickly realized the power those things put out is pretty much just plain weak. Here is what I am ideally looking for. I will be watching movies, playing games, and hooking up my PC/Laptop to the TV/Receiver so I will be doing a lot of PC gaming, internet surfing, and that. Pretty much everything you can do with sound I will be doing so I want something that will last me a long time. Something I don't have to upgrade in 2-3 years. In 7-10 years I can understand, but I really want to make this purchase once and be good for awhile. The room this setup will go in is going to be the main living room. I can't say the dimensions because I don't really know. I know I am moving two times within the next three years, so its hard to say. But these definitely will be in the main living room. My budgets was originally $1,000 but if the deal that I am getting truly is a great deal then I have no problem going with it. Anyways here is the setup they mentioned.

Together they are all normally $1430. They are selling it right now if I buy two KF-28s, and the KC-25 then they will give me the KS-14s for free. On top of that they have the two items I'm paying for discounted to $980 for both. So I would get a $1430 setup for $980. I also would need a receiver with all that and the employee recommended the Pioneer 700W VSX-823-K which they have online for $280. In total my setup would run me $1341 after tax. What do you all think? I don't HAVE to go with that receiver since its not part of the bundle. If you recommend a different receiver which one then? I would MUCH prefer the receiver be dual voltage (110v-220v) because one of my moves is me moving to England and if my receiver is only 110v then I need to get a transformer (another $50-$100).

Anyways I appreciate anyone that takes a look at this and any input you may have. I have updates for this thread get directly emailed to me so any questions and I will response probably within a few minutes. Thanks again and have a good day.

PS: I forgot to mention a subwoofer. I think I'm going to hold off a bit for a subwoofer because I may not need one to be honest because I've never heard an audio setup of the one that I'm contemplating purchasing. I can always add that in later as well since its not part of any bundles right now.

Now I just saw on Newegg they have the Klipsch Synergy F-20 on sale for $150 a piece. Any reason the KF-28s are so much more expensive? I'm guessing its because the KF-28s have a tweeter and are 8" vs the Synergy's 6.5". Anybody with knowledge on this please fill me in. Here is the Synergy's link:

If you like the Klipsch sound, I would go with the BIC Acoustech line. They are very comparable to the Klipsch Reference series, which is much better than their Icon or Synergy speakers. You can get the PL-76 System with PL-200 sub (great sub) for $1000 shipped with an offer at http://www.acousticsounddesign.com/core/view_BigProduct.cfm?pid=1540&sc=27 You are going to need a sub for movies and gaming, so you would need to figure in another $200 at least with your setup. This Acoustech system offers better performance and value.

Throw in a receiver, I personally would go with a Denon 1713. It has a much more capable room correction with Audyssey MultEQ XT, and you should be able to get it for $300 or less (BB might have some on clearance).

The Best Buy guy is leading you astray. If he was interested in anything other than getting a bonus for selling that particular set of speakers, he'd work within your budget , and obviously include a sub, which is a 100% must have for movies, (music too if you listen to any Hip Hop, Techno, etc). Listen to recommendations on this site, and take advantage of the online retailers, eg Newegg, etc. Best Buy is generally overpriced and clearly in this case is not listening to the customer!

The Best Buy guy is leading you astray. If he was interested in anything other than getting a bonus for selling that particular set of speakers, he'd work within your budget , and obviously include a sub, which is a 100% must have for movies, (music too if you listen to any Hip Hop, Techno, etc). Listen to recommendations on this site, and take advantage of the online retailers, eg Newegg, etc. Best Buy is generally overpriced and clearly in this case is not listening to the customer!

Thank you all for the responses. It does seem that I can get better for my money. Looking at the BIC Acoustech line-up, that does seem very appealing. $1,000 for a PL-76 w/ the subwoofer seems like a pretty sweet deal. Now I have to compare that to the PL-89II setup. The difference in price between the two is $200, so would that warrant the upgrade? I see some main differences of 6.5in speakers vs 8" speakers. Anybody speak from experience? Also I am having trouble finding the Denon 1713. Anybody have any other recommendations for receiver preferably dual voltage (110v-220v) Also is the consensus that the BIC Acoustechs are going to be my best bet for my price range?

I agree with the Bic recommendation...if you liked the sound of the Klipsch, you'll also like them. Like others have said, they sound more like the more expensive RF series from Klipsch, so would be a nice upgrade over what you looked at. Plus you'll get a good sub for the same price. You could save a little more money by going with 5 of the bookshelf or FH6 - LCR speakers (the same as the PL-26 without the glossy finish) instead of the floor standing models...as long as you are using a sub, the advantages of the larger front speakers don't mean much.

Thank you all for the responses. It does seem that I can get better for my money. Looking at the BIC Acoustech line-up, that does seem very appealing. $1,000 for a PL-76 w/ the subwoofer seems like a pretty sweet deal. Now I have to compare that to the PL-89II setup. The difference in price between the two is $200, so would that warrant the upgrade? I see some main differences of 6.5in speakers vs 8" speakers. Anybody speak from experience? Also I am having trouble finding the Denon 1713. Anybody have any other recommendations for receiver preferably dual voltage (110v-220v) Also is the consensus that the BIC Acoustechs are going to be my best bet for my price range?

I remember reading somewhere in the BIC Owner's Thread that the PL-76 had more detailed mid-range, but that was just one person's opinion. Maybe go read through the thread some and see what people think. The Denon X1000 is the new version of the 1713, it's more expensive, but would be a fine choice.

I think if you like the Klipsch sound, the BIC Acoustechs are a great cheaper alternative.

I am in the states yes, however I am moving overseas in one month and they are packing all my stuff up in a few weeks so I need to have everything purchased by then. The craigslist route would require me to wait around and hope I can find something. Plus I am OCD and don't like purchasing used items when its over a certain dollar amount.

On paper the Klipsch might be the best of those 3 options....Although you could probably get that AVR fairly cheap and pair it with the other options. The Klipsch are going to be brighter in sound (that comes down to personal preference) and MAY have a better resale value, if that means anything to you. As far as quality, it is probably neck and neck with option 1.

I would go with the first option. Those RF-42 II towers only have 4.5" drivers and won't have the same kind of dynamics of a bigger woofer. You can easily get a capable receiver for $300 putting options 1 and 3 at the same price.

Yeah I just saw that they are 4.5in drives so now it is between option 1 and 2. With that being said the price difference between those two is $160. How much of a difference would I see with that? Is the only difference the 6.5in vs the 8in. Also I saw the PL-89s are in the 2nd generation and they include "The newly engineered PL-89 II incorporates an improved crossover design which enables smoother response for both mid and high frequency ranges." which I do not see on the PL-76s.

I can't thank you all enough for bearing with my lack of knowledge on this subject and being patient with me.

If it were me, I would probably get the bigger PL-89s, but I expect their performance to be similar. One option is to get the PL-76 system and then a second subwoofer. I saw a post earlier where someone got a ridiculous deal from that site where they ended up paying an extra $90 for a second PL-200 and a pair of DV62i bookshelves. You may want to ask what he would charge for a second PL-200, that would make a much bigger difference than the slightly larger drivers. Dual subwoofers create a much more even bass response throughout the room, as well as increase output some.

Before I ruled out Klipsch, I'd call jdsmoothie, see number in his profile, with SVS Sales, & see what he can do for me. Klipsch has done new deal of Free SW-110 with RF System purchase which MAY apply.

Otherwise, I'd go with PL-89II & 2 SWs; even if you have to add 1 later.

You are going to want to make sure your destination countries' voltage matches your sub and receiver. Also, your speaker is going to be pretty top heavy with respect to your sub. You are spending too much on speakers and not enough on subwoofer. I would go with some bookshelf speakers, especially since you are moving. You don't need full range tower speakers if you bother getting a good subwoofer and set your equipment up correctly. The extra low end range on the towers won't serve any purpose if you set your system up right. Here is a much better system:

5 x Behinger 2030p monitors $500. The highly regarded speakers has very good performance metrics, likely much better than BIC Acoustech. For the current price they will not be beat.Hsu VTF2 mk4 subwoofer $600 shipped. This sub is compatible with 240 V/ 50 Hz input voltage, which is what most of the world outside the USA uses. It's a beast of a sub and on sale currently as well. Far higher performer than the PL200.

If I'm on base then no as they will be wired for both. Off base (which I will be living) is strictly 220v. With that being said I will have to purchase a step-down transformer which will run me about $60-$100 but that is ok cause I can re-sell those when I leave the UK.

So I will getting the Harmon Kardon AVR 1710, because I am getting a great deal on it ($302) and that will enable me the option to upgrade to 7.2 in the future, but for now I will stick with 5.1. The only thing I can't decide between is the PL-89IIs or the PL-76. The price difference would be $160-$200. Just not sure if it is worth that much. I spoke to BIC's technical support and the gentleman recommended I go with the PL-76s since I am getting the subwoofer with the setup, and that the PL-89s extra 1.5" drive would help with lows, but since I'll have the subwoofer I wouldn't need that. Just seems odd to me as to why they would sell the same subwoofer with the 89s if it goes better with the 76s for a cheaper price... Any opinions on this matter would be appreciate. Thanks again ya'll.

So I will getting the Harmon Kardon AVR 1710, because I am getting a great deal on it ($302) and that will enable me the option to upgrade to 7.2 in the future, but for now I will stick with 5.1. The only thing I can't decide between is the PL-89IIs or the PL-76. The price difference would be $160-$200. Just not sure if it is worth that much. I spoke to BIC's technical support and the gentleman recommended I go with the PL-76s since I am getting the subwoofer with the setup, and that the PL-89s extra 1.5" drive would help with lows, but since I'll have the subwoofer I wouldn't need that. Just seems odd to me as to why they would sell the same subwoofer with the 89s if it goes better with the 76s for a cheaper price... Any opinions on this matter would be appreciate. Thanks again ya'll.

The bigger woofers on the 89 will have a higher output, so for a larger room they would be more appropriate.

What the Bic rep and Shady J told you is what I was trying to tell you earlier...when using a good sub the larger speakers aren't really needed. Just make sure whatever you get extends to 80hz. What Trans was saying about output CAN be true, but if both speakers are rated to have the same efficiency, then you can ignore that. Almost all of Bics horn loaded speakers can do the mid 90s in efficiency and can reach at least 116db, so I wouldn't worry too much about output.

This is exactly what I would do. Dual subs can help to smooth the in-room frequency response through a wider seating area and give you some more output.

Now you got me thinking. Only problem with dual subs is will I have enough room for all that. I mean this setup will always be in my living room. I probably will never have a dedicated home theater room. Would two subs be overkill on that? Plus I would have to take into affect couches, seats and all that. I wish I knew what the room dimensions would be, but I have no idea.

Edit: And now after reading some reviews on the HK 1710 AVR... that isn't getting the best reviews.... I wish this was a lot easier haha.